Fresh fig and brown sugar cake

Gorgeous autumnal cake

This is my favourite autumnal cake which I make varying the seasonal fruit: plums, apples or the gorgeous, ripe Bursa figs.

It’s one of the easiest and most rewarding cakes, with no need to use even a handheld device. And it’s the swap of ordinary caster sugar for dark brown that makes the sponge base taste truly wonderful: moist, squidgy and rich.

That, and of course the fantastic Turkish figs.

I don’t give a fig!

Turkish Bursa figs come into season in September and continue to late October. Super-sweet, sizeable and fragrant, they are the Dürdane variety grown in Bursa, Turkey (PDO).

Figs have long been the source of slang expressions in many languages. Apart from my headline, there are figurative ‘fig leaves’, plus some less decent expressions in Greek and Italian referring to female anatomy. The last is probably inspired by how a fig looks when cut in half, and apart from the linguistic result, it is also why figs were traditionally regarded as a powerful aphrodisiac.

Which is, sadly, not evidence based. It however doesn’t make them any less delicious, in sweet or savoury dishes, as the main player or a supporting character, and in cakes like this one.

Baking with brown sugar

The simplest method, dry plus wet ingredients, is applied here. The flours, both plain and the ground almonds, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and sugar go into a larger bowl.

Take some time breaking up the brown sugar lumps by rubbing them against the side of the bowl, unless you’re impressively organised and store the brown sugar in a perfectly airtight container. When it comes in contact with the moisture from the air, brown sugar tends to clump and harden. But since most of us just roll down the top of the open bag untidily over the remaining sugar and stick it at the back of the cupboard, the de-clumping is usually necessary.

Making the batter

The liquid ingredients, eggs and oil plus yoghurt and honey go into a smaller bowl, to be whisked until emulsified. Plain yoghurt is my recommended type of dairy in this recipe but kefir will do just as well, or Greek yoghurt, only thinned out with some milk or buttermilk.

And then it’s just wet into dry, whisk until combined and smooth, and into the prepared tin it goes. It is good practice to line the tin with parchment, so the juices don’t stick to tin sides and make a mess.

I like to use a square tin for this type of cake but a large round cake tin is suitable too. Just don’t use too small a tin or the cake will be all sponge with only a few figgy slices perched on top.

If you use the Bursa figs which are one the best in the world, they will need to be sliced rather than halved as they come in quite a large size. Trim the stem and slice each fruit in four, about 1 cm thick.

After arranging them in a pretty or completely random (my preference) pattern on top of the batter, sprinkle them with a little caster sugar to release the juices. And with more cinnamon if you like it as much as I do.

Baking and storing

The cake will be ready in just over half an hour, when it passes the skewer test. Cool it in the tin, however tempting it might be to dig in with a spoon.

It will keep for two days in the kitchen, and a day longer if stored in the fridge. Use a sharp knife to cut it, or the figs will want to belong all to just one slice.

More fig recipes

Fig and prosciutto tart with ready-rolled puff pastry takes about five minutes to prepare and twenty to bake. A divine, seasonal lunch or starter dish, best made with gorgeous Bursa figs.

Tomato and fig salad with crumbled blue cheese and balsamic dressing. Sweet figs, ripe tomatoes with a salty tang of blue cheese make up an incredible burst of flavours.

Fresh fig confit with whole chunks of figs in syrup made with port or madeira wine. This fig confiture is more versatile than jam: you can serve it with cheese and meats. It will keep two weeks in the fridge.

More easy cakes with seasonal fruit

Norwegian apple cake, eplekake, is plenty of apple slices on sponge batter enriched with milk. This recipe is from New York Times but cross-referenced with Norway!

Blackberry crumble cake by Ottolenghi is delicious whether made with cultivated blackberries or wild ones: brambles. Easy sponge base, easy crumble topping, berries both folded in and peeking through the crumble, this is also a very versatile recipe.

Sticky pear and ginger cake is dark, moist and incredibly easy to make. With juicy chunks of pears and crunchy pecans scattered over the sticky syrupy surface, it’s the perfect autumn dessert.